Dawning Day
by Deadly Chakram
Summary: Young Xena stands against her village elders when Cortese attackes Amphipolis, but gains the approval of the God of War. XenaAres pairing.
1. A Call To Arms

Dawning Day

Disclaimer – I do not own any of these characters, the greater gods of TPTB do.  Story is for entertainment purposes only.  Beware of the Y.A.X.I.s.

Rated – R for violence and suggested adult themes

"If we stand together, we have a chance."

The words rang out in the crisp morning air.  They came from a striking young woman, tall with raven hair cascading down her back and shoulders.  Her sharp, crystal blue eyes scanned the cheering crowd before her.  It consisted of mostly villagers about her age -18- or even a bit younger.  A small group of older boys was in the back.

"If Xena leads us, then by the gods we can win!" one voice yelled over the commotion.

"Cortese will only find defeat here!" echoed another.

"To Xena, our warrior princess!" rang out yet another, as he raised his sword.

Xena smiled to herself.  Cortese would never take Amphipolis without a fight.  And after she got through training these villagers, he would not be emerging as the victor.  True, they were only simple villagers for the most part, but still, they had the passion to fight for their homeland, which was more than Xena could say for the adults.  But she'd have to start training immediately, for time was short before Cortese would come.  Already she and her brothers had built a training gauntlet in the hills just outside of Amphipolis.  

It had only been a few days ago that Xena had discovered that the warlord Cortese was headed towards Amphipolis.  Cortese.  The name itself had struck enough terror in the hearts of the elders to make them scrape together everything that they had so that they could offer it to Cortese in an attempt to appease him.  But Xena knew better.  She knew that the offering would merely be one stop shopping for Cortese.  The slaughter would be inevitable.  Those that would die would be the lucky ones.  The men who survived would be most likely to be sold as gladiators to satisfy the Roman zest for blood and violence.  Those not sold to the Romans would be sold into slavery.  Rumor had it that Cortese sold most of his prisoners to Egypt.  The women, on the other hand, would first be disgraced.  Chained down and at sword point, each woman would be used for the pleasure of Cortese's men.  Bodies ravaged, they too would be sold into slavery.  Then Amphipolis would be burned to the ground.  Xena would not stand for any of this, not if she could do anything about it.

She had desperately tried to persuade the elders into standing their ground.  But they had refused saying, "We are simple villagers not warriors."  Then she had been dismissed and given a warning not to get involved.  And yet here Xena was, rebelling in her own way.  She would lead the movement herself, regardless of the elders' wishes.  She would never stand by and watch her entire world be torn apart by Cortese.


	2. Ares Reflects

Back on Olympus, Ares sat in his chamber following the events taking place in Amphipolis.  Cortese was once under Ares' protection, but he had dishonored his patron god by sacrificing to Athena before the start of an important battle.  Now Ares' interest was Xena.

He'd had his eyes on Xena for a while now.  She was the daughter Atrius, a splendid warrior.  Atrius had been utterly devoted to the god of war, even making daily sacrifices.  He'd also been in Ares' elite army since he was 17 years old.  Only a serious injury to his leg had stopped him, and he'd eventually fallen in love while traveling through Amphipolis.  Her name was Cyrene, and together they had had three children.  Ares had high expectations for the children, but the two boys had been disappointments to him.  Xena's older Toris could fight, but his heart was never really in it fully.  And her younger brother Lyceus was quite good with a sword, but only when it concerned the greater good.  No, neither one would be worth Ares' time.  But then there was Xena.  What a fiery spirit she had!

Xena was the second child of Atrius and Cyrene.  From early on she had the rough and tumble spirit that her brothers lacked.  She learned at an early age what weapons were, as Atrius would recount stories of battles to other men in the village.  The young Xena would often toddle unnoticed into the room.  But Atrius was ever the loving father to his daughter.  Many long, happy days were spent as he doted over his children.  Granted, he spent most of his time with Toris, trying to teach the boy how to use a weapon, as he was four years older than Xena.  But Xena still had her father wrapped around her little finger.  As Xena grew, she learned to stand in an open field while Atrius galloped towards her on his horse.  At the last possible second, he would gather her in his arms in a safe embrace.  Meanwhile, Cyrene had given birth to Lyceus, who was two years younger then Xena.

But then came the day that Atrius had tried to kill Xena.  He'd been drinking with a few of his close friends and then had gone to make his daily sacrifice to Ares.  Somehow, he had gotten it into his head that Ares wanted Xena to be sacrificed to him in the literal sense.  What Ares had actually meant was that Xena would one day be his warrior.  But Atrius had misunderstood in his drunken state and had rushed home to kill his 7-year-old daughter.  Ares, with ever a watchful eye on Xena, had hated to lose his prized warrior Atrius, but he had big plans for Xena, even at that early age.  So he put the fire into Cyrene to stop her husband, killing him to protect Xena.

And so the years passed.  What Xena lacked in not having a father around, she gained with her brothers, especially Lyceus.  Xena and Lyceus were an inseparable pair.  They found in each other all the companionship they needed.  As a result, Xena grew into a tomboy of some right.  She rarely played with the other little girls in town.  Normal play just didn't sit right with Xena.  She preferred to practice swordplay with Lyceus.  Every day, she and Lyceus would run through a series of exercises with their swords, starting with makeshift wooden ones until they were skilled enough to handle the real things.  

In games too, Xena had proven herself to be quite military minded.  As she roamed the hills outside town or even the crowded streets of the marketplace while playing flag capturing games, she would concoct and execute brilliant strategies for capturing the other team's flag.  Needless to say, her team rarely, if ever, lost.  In short, Ares could tell that she was perfect for his ultimate warrior – the warrior that would capture the entire known world.  She'd need his help of course, as she was still a little rough around the edges, but this battle with Cortese would be the perfect opportunity to make sure that she was the one Ares wanted.


	3. Battlefield Amphipolis

A few days after Xena's campaign to save Amphipolis, the rag tag group of young warriors was training hard under Xena's watchful eye.  Lyceus kept watch over the surrounding area from high above in a nearby tree – a tree he and Xena had often climbed together as young children.  Now he kept a lookout for Cortese's army.  Without warning, the tree shook violently as he descended.  

"They're coming," he said.

"How close?"  
"They'll be in Amphipolis within two hours time."

"Alright, spread the word.  I want us in town as soon as possible.  Send Toris ahead.  If he won't fight, he can help get the elders out of there and into the caves."

Lyceus nodded and took off to gather the troops.  Xena set her jaw, her blood pounding at the thought of having the battle so close at hand.  Cortese was early – she hadn't expected him for a few more days.  Her warriors weren't ready just yet, not completely, but she had to trust that she had taught them well enough.

"Stop right there Cortese," Xena said, not much later, her sword drawn.  "This village is off limits to you."

Cortese laughed a terrible laugh.  "Step aside girl.  Who's going to stop me?  You?"  
  


As if in response, the youth of Amphipolis drew their weapons, while the elders that had not been fortunate enough to escape stood by wide-eyed and motionless.  Cortese's men looked amused at best.  There was no way that these children were going to stop them.  Then, all Hades broke loose as the battle commenced.  

Swords clashed and sparks flew as metal met metal.  Blood and sweat flowed freely from both sides in the fading summer light.  Cortese's army outnumbered Xena's at least five to one.  But her army was not disheartened – they only fought that much harder.  Before she even realized it, Xena was right in the middle of the fight.  She could she Toris fighting off to her right, but she couldn't see Lyceus.  At the moment, she was facing more immediate problems however.  Two warriors were both trying to plunge their swords into her.  She parried every blow just as skillfully as they had been dealt.  She had to admit, Cortese's army was good.

Several hours passed and the battle raged on.  Cortese's army was cut down to a quarter of its' original size.  Xena's army had been cut in half.  Each side was tiring and already, half of Amphipolis had been set ablaze by Cortese's men.  Those not fighting struggled to get the fire under control.  Toris had since fled the battle, risking himself to move a few of the badly injured to safety.  No end to the battle seemed to be in sight until Cortese mounted his horse and called the retreat command to his men.

"You haven't heard the last of me Xena," was the last thing that Cortese yelled out.

The army retreated in a hurry, dazed by the fierceness of the young fighters.  In Amphipolis, Xena's joy was short lived.  Lyceus still fought off one more warrior who was intent on killing the boy.  Just as Xena rushed to his aid, she saw the warrior plunge his sword into her brother's heart.  She came up behind the man uttering her ear piercing battle cry.  With a clean motion, she used her sword to slit the man's throat.  The warm blood rushed forth from the warrior, covering Xena's hands completely.  Wide-eyed, the man gurgled more blood, then fell to the ground.  But Xena felt nothing except a cold rage overtake her and concern for her brother.  In a flash, Xena was cradling Lyceus and inspecting his wound.


	4. Exile

Somehow, Xena managed to pick up Lyceus.  Picking her way over piles of dead bodies, many of them friends of hers, she got her brother into Cyrene's inn where she began to tend to him.  For two hours, Xena did everything in her power to save him.  But the bleeding just would not come under control, and Xena suspected some severe internal injuries as well.  Lyceus, for his part, stared blankly at the ceiling, drifting in and out of consciousness.  Finally, after two hours, he quietly passed away.

"I did everything I could," Xena said, avoiding her mother's eyes.

"Of course you did.  You assembled the army, you fought Cortese, you brought all of this upon Amphipolis.  His death is on your hands Xena," her mother responded, eyes cold and hard.

"Xena, you are hereby sentenced by the magistrate to leave town immediately or face criminal charges.  The choice is yours.  You must be out of town by daybreak."  The voice belong to Stenos, the magistrate's right-hand man, who had just entered the inn.

"Let me bury my brother first, and then I'll go.  And I won't return," Xena responded, eyes and voice pleading but firm.    

"Agreed."

So Xena buried her brother, a task she never imagined that she would have to do.  Then her exile began.  Exhausted and hungry, she crept out of town, the stars her only companions.  She took very little with her, only her sword.  It had been a gift from Lyceus, the first real sword she had ever owned.  It hurt to look at it, but she hadn't had the heart to leave it behind.  

As tired as Xena was, she didn't stop moving until she was far from Amphipolis and the dawn had broken.  Then, in the branches of a tree, she slept until dusk.  Catching something to eat, she continued moving, unsure of her direction or destination.  It was late that night when she stopped moving again.  She knew she needed to figure out a plan.  If she traveled west, she could start her own army.  She'd train the warriors hard and then use them to safeguard Amphipolis by attacking its' enemies.  Maybe then her mother could find it in her heart to at least forgive her.  But she knew she would never stay in town again.  Too many memories were there, most of them connected to Lyceus.  And right now, she couldn't think of him.  She needed to be tough now.


	5. A New Friend

Xena took refuge in a cave for the night just as a storm began.  As the night progressed, the storm raged on and Xena tried to sleep.  All attempts were futile.  Xena remained wide-awake, huddled close to the fire to dry off.  Suddenly, she saw the figure of a man appear in the cave.  The man was dressed in a long black cloak, and with the poor lighting from the insufficient fire, Xena could not make out what he looked like.

"Who are you?" she challenged.

"Put your sword down Xena," came the deep voiced reply.

"How do you know my name?"  
"I know everything about you Xena.  I am Ares, god of war."

"I am honored," Xena replied, having learned from her father strict obedience to the gods, especially Ares.  Her eyes were cast down in respect.

"Xena, don't grovel.  I'm here to talk to you.  I saw everything in Amphipolis," Ares said, getting straight to the point.  "I'm impressed with what you accomplished.  Cortese is one tough warlord. That's why I'm here."

Xena stared at Ares, not quiet sure what to respond.  Ares moved closer to Xena.  Normally she would have shifted away from someone being so close.  But she felt drawn to the god.

"You have a destiny Xena, but the choice to take it is yours.  Side with me and I will make you unstoppable.  No one will dare stand in your way."

"Forgive me great Ares, but how will you do that?  I mean, I've had no formal training."

"With this."

Ares moved the cloak aside, producing a round metallic object.  He held it out to Xena, offering it to her.  She took it reluctantly and studied it hard.

"What is it?" she asked, entranced.

"It's called the chakram.  It's also the most powerful weapon on earth.  Go ahead Xena, throw it.  See for yourself what it can do."

Xena hesitated a moment then threw the chakram.  It ricocheted off the walls of the cave then headed back towards her.  Strangely, she didn't panic.  Instinctively, her hand shot up and she grabbed the chakram as it came back.  Impressed by it's power, she smiled and looked at Ares.

"I am at your service my lord."

A short time later, Ares and Xena lay together on the floor of the cave, totally absorbed in their act of passion.  Both were breathing hard but showed no sign of stopping.  Ares had been surprised.  Xena had offered no resistance to his suggestion to consummate their alliance.  For Xena, it was her first time with a man.  For Ares, he was finally with the one mortal he longed to lay with.  The fire had long since died, leaving Xena still unable to see the god, expect for in the brief flashes of lightening that barely illuminated the cave.  But she felt safe, her flesh pressed to his.  The two spent all night this way, wrapped in the other's arms bringing Olympus to earth.   


	6. The Rest Is History

 It was dawn when Xena awoke.  Ares was gone and Xena felt herself changed.  She went on, going from town to town, raising an army.  With her formidable army she began her crusade, attacking the enemies of her hometown.  Never once did she look back.  Never once did she allow herself to lose sight of her goal.  And everyday, she made time to be with Ares.  Xena had made a point to stay around the surrounding area while she got her army together and trained, so at first the cave had been their meeting spot.  Xena always came to him.  But once Xena began to move around, Ares always found her and her warrior's tent became their meeting place.  

The years passed quickly and Xena soon grew bored of her life.  She turned to a life of piracy, attacking her enemies on a new front, the sea.  Thanks to M'Lila, a runaway slave girl who had stowed away on her ship, she soon mastered pressure points, learning how to make them fatal.  She came into contact with Caesar and was betrayed and crucified.  Legs shattered and having barely escaped with her life, she'd met up with a rising warlord named Borias.  Together they had traveled to the land of Chin, growing ever closer together.  Xena had high ambitions to become the Destroyer of Nations, as promised to her by the shamaness Alti.  But things never go according to plan.  Xena grew apart from Ares while she grew closer to Borias.  In their passion, Xena soon came to be expecting.  

After Borias died and Xena gave up her son Solan to the Centaurs, she continued to look ahead to the prospect of world conquest.  She never looked back to Ares.  Under normal circumstances, Ares would have killed such a traitor, but during the years spent with her, he had fallen more and more under her spell.  As much as he tried to deny it, he had fallen in love with her.  Rather, he concocted a plan to reclaim Xena to his side.  One night after she had fallen asleep, Ares entered her dreams.  Placing visions of his despised half-brother Hercules in her mind, Ares assumed the form of Alti.

"Xena," he said.  "Look well upon this man.  This is Hercules.  He is the greatest opposition you must face.  Kill him Xena.  Kill him and no one shall stand in your way.  With his death, the road will be clear for you to become the Destroyer of Nations!"

Xena awoke the next morning with a terrible hatred for Hercules.  She knew that he had to die.  But how would she achieve her goal?  She knew that fastest way to find Hercules' weak spot was to ask a certain god of war.  But no, she couldn't turn back and ask Ares' help after all those years.  So Xena took her army and headed to Corinth, Hercules' hometown.  From there, she sent out scouts and learned that Hercules did indeed have a weak spot.  He had a best friend.  All Xena would have to do was lure Iolaus to her side and drive a wedge between the friends.  She would stage a battle where, with any luck, they would kill each other, and if they didn't, Xena would still be able to take Hercules out of the picture.

But once again, things went horribly wrong for Xena.  Hercules and Iolaus did not kill each other.  They banded together instead.  Darfus, her trusted lieutenant for several years, betrayed her.  She was forced to run the gauntlet, and soon found herself fighting with Hercules to stop Darfus.  Little did could either she or Ares know, that her life was about to take on a whole new turn.            

Disclaimer -  Xena introduced Ares to the concept of falling in love during the production of this fan fiction.  As a result, many Y.A.X.I.s were born.  


End file.
